ALBANY: Agreement Announced to Continue Power for Jobs—Legislative agreement on extension of the Power Authority-administered Power for Jobs program will provide an additional 183 megawatts of low-cost electricity toward creating or sustaining jobs throughout New York State. On June 27, Gov. George E. Pataki announced agreement on legislation he proposed to continue the program, which has helped to create or retain some 300,000 in-state jobs in the past five years—well beyond the original 40,000-job projection. Similar to legislation passed in each of the last two years, the extension will enable employers with expiring Power for Jobs contracts to apply for new allocations. NYPA will continue to purchase the wholesale electricity for the program from private energy suppliers. In return for the 10-to-25-percent savings on electricity bills, qualified organizations must pledge specific job levels. To date, customers have achieved an average of about 105 percent of total job commitments. Employers served by Power for Jobs include manufacturers, hospitals, colleges, cultural institutions, small family firms, farms and agribusinesses.

WESTERN NEW YORK: Hydropower Helps Create 545 Jobs—Gov. George E. Pataki announced on June 25 that low-cost hydropower from NYPA's Niagara Power Project will support the creation of 545 jobs at 17 companies in Western New York. In response to a major marketing effort to promote economic development in the region, the companies have committed to investing about $85 million to expand their operations and create jobs. At less than 2 cents per kilowatt-hour (kwh), the Niagara project electricity, drawn from a 445,000-kilowatt block of Replacement Power, is about 60 percent less costly than the national average price for industrial electricity. The companies whose applications were approved by the Power Authority, and the number of new jobs associated with them, included Precious Plate, Niagara Falls, 58 jobs; Outokumpu American Brass, Buffalo, 55 jobs; Sun Orchard Fruits, Burt, 28 jobs; American Pharmaceutical Partners, Grand Island, 90 jobs; Praxair, Niagara Falls, 24 jobs; St. Gobain, Niagara Falls, 35 jobs; and Buffalo Tungsten, Depew, 16 jobs. Overall, Niagara hydropower helps to protect about 50,000 jobs at more than 100 companies in the region.

MARCY: Pioneering Transmission Project Achieves Milestone—The Edic capacitor bank, a major component of the Power Authority's convertible static compensator (CSC), began operation in mid-June, in a milestone toward completion of the CSC, the world's most advanced transmission control device, at NYPA's Marcy substation. The Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation installed and will operate the capacitor bank at its Edic substation under agreement with NYPA. The capacitor bank, and another farther downstate, will provide voltage support to enable the CSC to move more power to where it's most needed. It will permit an immediate increase of 45 megawatts (mw) to the transfer limit of the voltage-constrained Central East Interface, a key portion of the state's transmission network in the Albany area. Final testing and full operation of the CSC, which will boost statewide transmission capacity by about 200 mw, is scheduled by year's end.

NEW YORK: PLM Expansion to Reduce Peak Summer Demand—The Power Authority is playing a key role in statewide energy-conservation efforts aimed at maintaining reliable power supplies during peak demand periods this summer. As part of a coordinated campaign with energy agencies, New York's electricity market and grid operator and utilities, NYPA has increased funding to up to $4 million for its Peak Load Management program, which provides incentive payments to Authority customers in New York City that reduce their electricity use, on request, when demand soars on the hottest days. The expanded program is projected to double, to 100 megawatts (mw), temporary reductions in the customers' peak demand. NYPA is also participating in an interagency task force developing demand-response and energy-efficiency programs in the state's Coordinated Electricity Demand Reduction Initiative. Gov. George E. Pataki's office has identified 1,300 mw of potential statewide load reductions from various sources this summer. The Power Authority has committed to a 250-mw decrease in electricity use by its customers, including about 150 mw in New York City and on Long Island.

WHITE PLAINS: NYPA Supplier Diversity Fair Keeps Growing—The Power Authority's annual purchasing exchange for minority- and women-owned businesses continues to attract a growing number of participants. This year's event, held June 13 at NYPA's White Plains office, brought together representatives of more than 200 eligible businesses, who were able to make contact with more than 20 corporate and governmental entities. This is the 12th year that the Power Authority has sponsored the event with the National Minority Business Council. NYPA's Supplier Diversity Program has resulted in more than $330 million worth of business with minority- and women-owned firms in areas ranging from energy-efficiency products to printing and office supplies to computer services and airline charters. Participants in the purchasing exchange are solicited through area business organizations.

QUEENS: NYPA Scholarships Honor Victim of WTC Disaster—Three seniors at Townsend Harris High School were the first recipients of a $3,000 scholarship established by the Power Authority in memory of an alumnus killed in last September's terrorist attack in New York City. The Jennifer Wong Memorial Scholarship was set up to honor the 26-year-old daughter of long-time NYPA employee Ben Wong, a project engineer. The Power Authority will make the financial aid available each year to one or more deserving seniors who are actively involved in community service and headed for college. Wong and his wife, Joyce, attended the June 25 Townsend Harris graduation ceremony and presented checks for $1,000 each to Terrecia Davis of the Bronx, Chi Wan Ma of Flushing and Anna Olson of Forest Hills. A 1993 graduate of Townsend Harris, Jennifer Wong worked as a risk management technologist for Marsh & McLennan at the World Trade Center.

In the Community: More than 250 teams of youngsters, representing leagues from Maine to West Virginia, participated in the NYPA-co-sponsored Snickers U.S. Youth Soccer Region 1 Championships, on 34 soccer fields in Lewiston and Youngstown, June 29 to July 2. The visitors center at the Power Authority's Niagara Power Project, Lewiston, was the venue for a July 1 reception and dinner for approximately 100 volunteers for the event….Cathy Blood, senior community relations representative at the Niagara project, received an award from the Niagara Wellness Council for her commitment to the Niagara Falls community, June 19….In addition to selecting Jerry Loughran, president of the Garden City Community Fund, as its 2002 Volunteer of the Year, the Power Authority is honoring five other finalists in its program recognizing employees’ contributions to their communities: Karen Hinkley, Grand Gorge, was instrumental in making automated external defibrillators available in Central New York. Sharon Lis-Hieber, Ilion, organized a collection of cell phones for use as 911 emergency communication tools by domestic-violence victims. Christian Moermond, Manhattan, assisted the Red Cross Disaster Recovery unit after the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. Phyllis Nitkin, Peekskill, has been involved in a myriad of volunteer activities in her area, including coordinating the Paramount Center for the Arts' annual Beaux Arts Ball. Dennis Sacco, Ridgewood, N.J., serves as vice president of Volunteer Ventures, whose members help out at homeless shelters and senior citizens' homes and run events for disadvantaged children.